Competition Results – Best Australian Natural Landscape Photo

Competition Results – Best Australian Natural Landscape Photo

After the success of our first photo competition, we were really excited to see how our second competition would go, and we weren’t disappointed.

The number of entries was even larger and the quality of the images was very impressive 😃

Each winner receives a Matted Print of their photo

A big thank you to all our entrants and without further ado, here are the judges (that’s Maggie & I) decisions …

First Place

First place goes to Gina Martinovich for her “Mulla Mulla Flowers” in the Pilbarra. A beautifully colourful & sharp image of this very striking flower 😎

Mulla Mulla Flowers by Gina Martinovich

Here are Gina’s comments:
“My husband bought me a gold detector, I sold it after the first time out and bought a Nikon camera and lenses.
I love to take pictures and teach myself how to adjust the light and take interesting photos.”


Gina wins:

  • 11” x 14” Matted Fine Art Print of her photo printed on Ilford Galerie Prestige Photo Paper using Epson Pigmented Inks
  • High quality lens cloth & cleaning cloth with her image printed on them using Sawgrass Dye Sublimation Inks
  • 10% Discount Voucher to use in our Gallery
Gina’s “Mulla Mulla Flowers” as a Matted Print
Gina’s 1st Place Cleaning Cloth & Lens Cloth

Second Place

Second place goes to Tony Leh for his “Lake Retreat” in Gidgegannup. What a stunning image of an idyllic location in the Perth Hills.

Lake Retreat – Tony Leh

Tony wins:

  • 8” x 10” Matted Fine Art Print of his photo printed on Ilford Galerie Prestige Photo Paper using Epson Pigmented Inks
  • High quality lens cloth & cleaning cloth with his image printed on them using Sawgrass Dye Sublimation Inks
  • 10% Discount Voucher to use in our Gallery
Tony’s “Lake Retreat” as a Matted Print
Tony’s 2nd Place Cleaning Cloth & Lens Cloth

Third Place

Third place is awarded to Anthony de Silva for his “Lancelin Sand Dunes”. A dramatic black & white image with some amazing tones & leading lines.

Lancelin Sand Dunes – Anthony de Silva

Anthony wins:

  • 5” x 7” Matted Fine Art Print of his photo printed on Ilford Galerie Prestige Photo Paper using Epson Pigmented Inks
  • High quality lens cloth & cleaning cloth with his image printed on them using Sawgrass Dye Sublimation Inks
  • 10% Discount Voucher to use in our Gallery
Anthony’s “Lancelin Sand Dunes” as a Matted Print
Anthony’s 3rd Place Cleaning Cloth & Lens Cloth

Sponsors Prize

Finally, our sponsored prize is chosen by “The Northern Guide” and goes to Lelah McCuaig for her Whiteman Park” image.

Whiteman Park – Lelah McCuaig

Here are Lelah’s comments:
My name’s Lelah McCuaig and I’m 19 years old. Photography isn’t just a hobby for me it’s something I do daily. Especially Australia’s landscape and wildlife.

Lelah wins:

  • 108mm x 108mm Framed Ceramic Tile of her photo printed using Sawgrass Dye Sublimation Inks
  • High quality lens cloth & cleaning cloth with her image printed on them using Sawgrass Dye Sublimation Inks
  • 10% Discount Voucher to use in our Gallery
Lelah’s Framed Tile
Lelah’s Cleaning Cloth & Lens Cloth

Thank you again to all our entrants, we were really impressed with the quality of images and appreciation of our amazing landscapes here in Australia 😃

We plan to run these competitions on a regular basis so keep an eye out for our next competition “Best Photo of a Tree (or Trees)”. Further details will be announced on our Facebook Page, Instagram and here on our Blog soon 👍

Sleeklens - Dead River Rree, Murchison River, Kalbarri, Western Australia
“Dead River Tree”, Murchison River, Kalbarri, Western Australia

Environmental Issues

Always remember when visiting natural environments please be respectful of the flora and fauna, take your litter home and treat the environment with respect.

Leave No Trace :

“🌴 Take Nothing but Pictures 📷 Leave Nothing but Footprints 🐾 Kill Nothing but Time Keep Nothing But Memories 🌳”

Visit Our Gallery

Visit our Gallery at Shop 136 Wanneroo Markets, 33 Prindiville Drive in Wangara to see more of our Fine Art Images & Photo Products.

Also available at the Gallery are Greeting Cards, Magnets, Keyrings, Mugs, Scarves, Tote Bags, Wall Tapestries, Lens Cloths, unique 3D Printed Gadgets & Gizmo’s and much more …

Cheers,
Dave 🐾

Competition – Best Australian Natural Landscape Photo

Competition – Best Australian Natural Landscape Photo

Our first Photo Competition for “Best Australian Wildlife Photo” in October was a great success so we’re announcing our second Competition for December 2019 / January 2020 “Best Australian Natural Landscape Photo”, again run in collaboration with Heather at “The Northern Guide”.

The Australian Landscape is as beautiful as it is diverse, we have everything here from beautiful beaches, daunting deserts & snowy mountains to tropical rain forests & waterlogged wetlands along with everything else in between.

Mountains of Gold - Beachside Rocks, Shorehaven Beach, Perth, Western Australia - Photographic Art (CRA1.1-V1-)
Mountains of Gold – Beachside Rocks, Shorehaven Beach, Perth, Western Australia

Living our busy lives in suburbia it’s easy to forget just how amazing this country is. Hopefully our Photo Competition this month will help bring your attention back to the natural wonders all around us and maybe inspire you to get outdoors and leave city life behind for a while 😎

To enter this months competition all you need is a photo taken in Australia that focuses on the Natural Landscape. Animals, people, buildings and man made objects are allowed but must not be the main subject.

Sunset Peninsula, Bunker Bay, Margaret River, Western Australia - Photographic Art
Sunset Peninsula, Bunker Bay, Margaret River, Western Australia

Ideas for subject matter include: landscapes (obviously), sunsets, seascapes, forest scenes, wetlands, lakes, abstract natural scenes (like my “Mountains of Gold” above), photos of your local park, beach scenes, waves, trees, flowers or even a closeup of a leaf …

Winery 1, Swan Valley, Perth, Western Australia - Photographic Art
Vine Leaf, Dave’s Back Garden, Perth, Western Australia
Forest Twilight 1, Boranup Forest, Margaret River, Western Australia - Photographic Art (BFV1.1-V3-TH1)
Boranup Forest, Margaret River, Western Australia
Red & Green Kangaroo Paw, Kings Park, Perth, Western Australia - Photographic Art (KPF1.2-V1)
Red & Green Kangaroo Paw, Kings Park, Perth, Western Australia
Waves in Motion 1, Indian Ocean, Perth, Western Australia - Photographic Art
Waves in Motion, Indian Ocean, Perth, Western Australia

So what are you waiting for?
Get out there, start snapping and enter your best Australian Landscape Photos to be in the chance to win a professionally printed & matted Fine Art Print of your photo:

  • First Place: 11” x 14” Matted Fine Art Print of Your Image
  • Second Place: 8” x 10” Matted Fine Art Print of Your Image
  • Third Place: 5” x 7” Matted Fine Art Print of Your Image
  • “The Northern Guide” Additional Sponsored Prize will be a 4″ x 4″ Framed Tile Print awarded to Heather’s choice from entrants who have liked her Facebook Page
  • Plus all winners will receive a high quality lens cloth & a cleaning cloth to keep your camera smear & dust free with your image printed on them
  • Plus all winners will receive a 10% Discount Voucher to use in our Gallery at Wanneroo Markets

The winners prints will be printed on Ilford Galerie Fine Art Paper using an Epson Large Format Printer with UltraChrome® Pigment Inks.
Lens Cloths & Cleaning Cloths will be Dye Sublimated using Sawgrass Printers & SubliJet-HD Inks

Matted Prints - Photo Competition, MADCAT Photography, Perth, Western Australia
Winning Print from Our “Best Australian Native Animal” Photo Competition
October 2019

Conditions Summary:

  • Entrants must reside in WA & be able to collect any prizes from our Gallery at Wanneroo Markets in person
  • Up to 3 images per person that focus on the Australian Natural Landscape. Animals, people, buildings and man made objects are allowed but must not be the main subject
  • Please feel free to add an accompanying image title & short description associated with your images
  • Entries should be submitted by email to comp@madcat.com.au & received by Fri 31st January 2020
  • Important: Please read the full guidelines & conditions below:

If you have any questions then please contact us

We love promoting photography as a hobby (or profession) for young and old alike. Photography encourages artistic creativity, it gets people outdoors and encourages an active & healthy lifestyle. Photography also provides the opportunity for people to learn new skills using computer tools like Photoshop, Lightroom or many of the free alternatives available.

When visiting natural environments please be respectful of the flora and fauna, take your litter home and treat the environment with respect.

The Sentry, Two Rocks, Perth, Western Australia - Photographic Art
Two Rocks, Perth, Western Australia

Terms & Conditions:

  • Promoted by MADCAT Digital Design ABN: 19 094 456 845
  • Each entrant may submit up to 3 images, there is no cost to enter
  • Entries should be submitted by email to comp@madcat.com.au & received by Fri 31st January 2020
  • Entries should be in JPEG format at the highest quality possible and not reduced in size (preferably at least 3MB in size)
  • All entries will be acknowledged by email
  • Information required for each entry includes:
    • Email Subject should read “MADCAT Photography Competition December 2019 / January 2020”
    • Your full name
    • Your email address for notification to winners
    • Your age
    • Your suburb in WA
    • The location the photo was captured at
    • Optional: Image Title & Short Description
    • Optional: Tell us what this location means to you (we love a good story 👍)
  • Entries must depict the Australian Landscape in a positive manner, be taken lawfully and with conservation in mind
  • Animals, people, buildings and man made objects are allowed but must not be the main subject
  • Images will be judged on technical quality, artistic quality & emotional response of the judges, Dave Catley & Maggie Catley
  • The judge’s decisions will be final
  • Images may be processed as the entrant sees fit but the judges reserve the right to judge images based on their subjective opinions. In other words if you go crazy you’d better do a good job of it 😊
  • You must be the legal owner to the copyright of any images submitted
  • All images submitted must be based solely on photographic images taken by the entrant
  • Entrants retain the full ownership of images submitted
  • Winners will be informed by email, announced in the next issue of The Northern Guide as well as on our Website & Facebook page
  • MADCAT Photography reserves the right to use submitted images in relation to promoting this or future competitions, recognition will be given to the entrant if possible
  • Any personal information received will not be passed on to third parties for any purpose, however entrants will be added to our email database unless explicitly requesting to be excluded
  • MADCAT Photography accepts no responsibility for entries not received, it is the entrant’s responsibility to ensure their entry has been received
  • Legal Stuff: MADCAT Photography has no liability, in negligence or howsoever, for any accident, loss, illness, injury, damage, or inconvenience suffered by you or any individual or property arising out of or after entering the competition or collecting and using the prize. In other words “Whatever you do it’s not our fault!”
Ocean Tranquility, Yanchep, Perth, Western Australia - Photographic Art
Ocean Tranquility, Yanchep, Perth, Western Australia

Environmental Issues

Always remember when visiting natural environments such as these please be respectful of the flora and fauna, take your litter home and treat the environment with respect.

Leave No Trace :

  • Take Nothing but Pictures
  • Leave Nothing but Footprints
  • Kill Nothing but Time
  • Keep Nothing But Memories
  • Burn Nothing but Calories

Post Processing

These images were processed using a combination of Adobe Lightroom Classic CC, Adobe Photoshop CC 2019 & ON1 Photo RAW 2019.

Visit Our Gallery

Visit our Gallery at Shop 136 Wanneroo Markets, 33 Prindiville Drive in Wangara to see more of our Fine Art Images & Photo Products.

Also available at the Gallery are Greeting Cards, Magnets, Keyrings, Mugs, Scarves, Tote Bags, Wall Tapestries, Lens Cloths, unique 3D Printed Gadgets & Gizmo’s and much more …

Cheers,
Dave 🐾

Photo Tour – Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre

Photo Tour – Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre

Last weekend I attended my first Tour Day at the Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre and I must say it was amazing and worth every bit of the low $15 booking fee 😃

Tour Day, KaarakinBlack Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Tour Day, KaarakinBlack Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia

Located in the Banyowla Regional Park in the Perth Hills on a former tourism wildlife park site their purpose is to protect and rehabilitate our native wild black cockatoo species here in Western Australia.

As the tour begins we are given an introduction to the organisation, the work they do and how they are working to restore the site to it’s original native state along with several other revegetation projects in WA.

First stop is the Kangaroo enclosure containing a community of Red & Western Grey Kangaroos left over from the old wildlife park. Sadly these Kangaroos have been isolated for decades, they are suffering from inbreeding and cannot be released back into the wild so they are cared for as best as possible.

Kangaroos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Kangaroos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia

Next came the Emu enclosure, where we found that our Tour Guide had a strangely close relationship with the resident Emu’s. Personally I don’t think I’d trust getting up close & personal with an Emu!

Emu, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Emu, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia

Finally we arrived at the Dingo enclosure, something I was really looking forward to and I wasn’t disappointed.

On the way into the Dingo enclosure is an aviary full of beautiful Finches.

Finches, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Finches, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia

Apparently the Dingoes are walked around the site daily for exercise and also to help prevent / detect any rogue foxes attempting to enter.

Dingoes, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Dingoes, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia

Dingoes have had a bit of a bad rap over the years, including being threatened with removal from the protected native wildlife list (thankfully overturned) but these guys are seriously cute …

Dingoes, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Dingoes, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia
Dingoes, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Dingoes, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia
Dingoes, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Dingoes, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia

Finally we arrived at the Black Cockatoos and were taught about all the different aviaries designed for different purposes and how injured Cockies are prepared and returned to the wild whenever possible 🐾👍

Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia

Having been told how we had to respect the Black Cockatoos space and be respectful, we were then told that they had no intention of doing the same (being wild animals) 🤣

We then had our feet sprayed, removed jewelry and entered the Aviary to play with the Cockatoos, or maybe for them to play with us 😎

Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia

If you’ve never been up close and personal with a group of Black Cockatoos then I highly recommend an experience like this.

They will swoop over you make loud raucous noises and randomly land on shoulders (or heads), and they are a lot bigger than most people would imagine.

Black Cockatoos are, however, incredible social and gentle birds. They will not harm you and you will fall in love straight away ❤

Unlike cuddling Koalas, which should never be allowed as it is stressful and dangerous for the animal, interacting with Black Cockatoos is a two way relationship.

It is also worth pointing out that these “educational” Cockatoos are very familiar with humans and can not be released back into the wild for health reasons. You will never get near a Cockatoo that is being prepared for release as they need to maintain their natural caution of humans.

Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia – MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Black Cockatoos, Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Centre, Western Australia

Please remember that these magnificent Black Cockatoos are highly endangered, if you want to help protect WA’s Black Cockatoo population then support the local organisations that are working hard to keep these amazing birds alive:

Post Processing

These images were processed using a combination of Adobe Lightroom Classic CC, Adobe Photoshop CC 2019 & ON1 Photo RAW 2019.

Visit Our Gallery

Visit our Gallery at Shop 136 Wanneroo Markets, 33 Prindiville Drive in Wangara to see more of our Fine Art Images & Photo Products.

Also available at the Gallery are Greeting Cards, Magnets, Keyrings, Mugs, Scarves, Tote Bags, Wall Tapestries, Lens Cloths, unique 3D Printed Gadgets & Gizmo’s and much more …

Cheers,
Dave 🐾

New Image Release – Black Cockatoo with Exploding Nuts

New Image Release – Black Cockatoo with Exploding Nuts

I got some great Black Cockatoo images from the recent open day at Native Animal Rescue here in Perth but I wasn’t expecting this!

This particular trio of images feature Obama, one of their resident Red-Tailed Black Cockatoos chewing on a gum nut. It wasn’t until I got home and checked out the images that I realised that his nut had exploded with perfect timing.

A Short Timelapse Video Experiment

The trio of images looked so good that I decided to experiment with a short Timelapse video showing just how seriously these guys take their gum nuts 😎 I just love how his claws open up in the second shot as the nut explodes.

I’ve been meaning to make some video’s for a while now and initially thought I should just do it in Photoshop. While I did successfully create a video very similar to the above in Photoshop I found it somewhat inefficient, especially when I just wanted to make small changes.

Eventually I remade the video in much less time using Premier Pro, and that included reminding myself exactly how Premier Pro worked. However, if Photoshop is all you have access to then it will work fine for simple videos like this one 👍

Here are the individual images …

Red Tailed Black Cockatoo, Exploding Nuts, Perth, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Obama the Red Tailed Black Cockatoo
Red Tailed Black Cockatoo, Exploding Nuts, Perth, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Obama the Red Tailed Black Cockatoo with Exploding Nut!
Red Tailed Black Cockatoo, Exploding Nuts, Perth, Western Australia - MADCAT Photography
Obama the Red Tailed Black Cockatoo

These 3 images are available now as Fine Art Prints or on any of our Photo Products. I’m thinking a Triptych of square canvases or Aluminium Prints would look amazing 😃

Please remember that these magnificent Black Cockatoos Cockatoos are highly endangered, if you want to help protect WA’s Black Cockatoo population then support the local organisations that are working hard to keep these amazing birds alive:

Post Processing

These images were processed using a combination of Adobe Lightroom Classic CC, Adobe Photoshop CC 2018 & ON1 Photo RAW 2018.

The video was produced using Premier Pro CC.

Visit Our Gallery

Visit our Gallery at Shop 136 Wanneroo Markets, 33 Prindiville Drive in Wangara to see more of our Fine Art Images & Photo Products.

Also available at the Gallery are Greeting Cards, Magnets, Keyrings, Mugs, Scarves, Tote Bags, Wall Tapestries, Lens Cloths, unique 3D Printed Gadgets & Gizmo’s and much more …

Cheers,
Dave 🐾

Conservation – There’s a Black Cloud Over Our Black Cockatoos

Conservation – There’s a Black Cloud Over Our Black Cockatoos

The Carnaby Black Cockatoos were out in Yanchep National Park last week when we turned up there for a walk. Noisy as ever they paraded around the treetops with their usual majesty and charm allowing me to get some great photos.

Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

Black Cockatoos truly are magnificent, you really have to see one up close to realise just how big and beautiful they are. They each have a unique character and are very friendly & gentle creatures.

Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

But the sad thing is Black Cockatoos are highly endangered!

Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

A survey in April last year known as the “Great Cocky Count”, held here in South Western Australia, reported that Carnaby Black Cockatoo numbers had fallen by 35% over the last year. Carnaby’s are only found here in Western Australia and their numbers are dropping due to increasing decimation of their habitat and food sources due to urban and industrial development.

Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

There will be another “Great Cocky Count” in April this year, conducted by Birdlife Western Australia, volunteers will count Carnaby’s & Red-tailed Black Cockatoo’s at known roost sites across South Western Australia.

Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

If you want to help protect WA’s Black Cockatoo population then support the local organisations that are working hard to keep these amazing birds alive:

Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia
Carnaby Black Cockatoos, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

Post Processing

These images were processed using a combination of Adobe Lightroom Classic CC, Adobe Photoshop CC 2018 & ON1 Photo RAW 2018.

Visit Our Gallery

Visit our Gallery at Shop 136 Wanneroo Markets, 33 Prindiville Drive in Wangara to see more of our Fine Art Images & Photo Products.

Also available at the Gallery are Greeting Cards, Magnets, Keyrings, Mugs, Scarves, Tote Bags, Wall Tapestries, Lens Cloths, unique 3D Printed Gadgets & Gizmo’s and much more …

Cheers,
Dave

Southern Boobook Owl in Mum’s Backyard

Southern Boobook Owl in Mum’s Backyard

Southern Boobook Owl Triptych, Mindarie, Perth, Photographic Art

Southern Boobook Owl Triptych, Mindarie, Western Australia

Bird photography can be a time consuming process but rewards can pay of at the least expected times. a few days a go I got a call from my mum to say she had spotted a small owl in her back garden. As an avid owl lover mum has owl ornaments and images all around her house & garden so maybe this little guy just felt at home in her garden …

Southern Boobook Owl Triptych, Mindarie, Perth, Photographic Art

Southern Boobook Owl Triptych, Mindarie, Western Australia

Anyway, we headed off to mum’s to check out this visitor of hers hoping that he would still be there … and he was. We found him nestled in the foliage of a small tree in the garden. Luckily for us the tree’s foliage was dense enough to keep him protected but with enough gaps that we could get a good view of him, it’s not often you get so lucky 🙂 Ironically the only reason mum spotted him was because the local birds were going crazy about his presence, fluttering around the tree and and making a rawkus noise. But then it is spring and no doubt they were a little concerned about their nests becoming potential dinner plates!

Southern Boobook Owl, Mindarie, Perth, Photographic Art

Southern Boobook Owl, Mindarie, Western Australia

Maggie began looking into what type of owl he was while I started snapping away with my 70-200mm. The late afternoon sun was behind him making the light interesting and challenging. I knew the bright blue glimpses of sky would be blown out but the important thing was getting the owl exposed perfectly and retaining the brilliant green of the backlit foliage. The little guy was barely moving so shutter speed wasn’t so important but I still needed to keep it up high enough to prevent any camera shake. It was pretty dark inside that tree and after a bit of experimentation I compromised at manually setting my exposure to 1/160th, f7.1 & ISO 1000 and I was very happy with how that worked out. Noise levels were very low even with the shadows brightened up in Lightroom and the level of detail around his eyes was astounding as you can see from the exploded view below.

Lightroom Close Up of Southern Boobook Owl, Mindarie, Western Australia

Lightroom Close Up of Southern Boobook Owl, Mindarie, Western Australia

Although the owl was not moving all that much it was a windy day and the leaves  were blowing around all over the place making it tricky to frame the owl and causing the sunlight to randomly blow out parts of the owls body.

Blown Out Patches - Southern Boobook Owl, Mindarie, Western Australia

Blown Out Patches – Southern Boobook Owl, Mindarie, Western Australia

All up we were there for around 40 mins, I took 213 photos and got some crackers. Turns out he was a Southern Boobook Owl, quite common around here though not so much in backyards! One good tip for photographing animals is to always focus on the eyes. At 200mm in low light depth of field is often sacrificed for shutter speed and if the eyes are not pin sharp then the whole image can be ruined.

Focus on the Eyes - Southern Boobook Owl, Mindarie, Western Australia

Focus on the Eyes – Southern Boobook Owl, Mindarie, Western Australia

As usual my initial processing was done in Lightroom followed by adding effects in the new ON1 Photo Raw 2018 with some final tweaking in Photoshop, the Master File is then imported back into Lightroom from where I can export it in any format as required. All 3 tools have their benefits and work well together to produce a final image that is extremely high quality and suitable for any purpose.

Southern Boobook Owl Triptych, Mindarie, Perth - Tabletop Print Suggestion

Southern Boobook Owl, Mindarie, Western Australia – Tabletop Print Suggestion

I haven’t really looked at the new version of ON1 Photo RAW 2018 short of using the effects module to create & apply presets. Keep an eye out for my upcoming review of this very interesting photo processing software package that is becoming serious competition for Lightroom.

Image Details

Location: Mindarie Backyard, Western Australia Date: 26th December 2017 Time: 3pm – 3:40pm Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mk11 Lens: EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM Camera Mode: Manual Exposure: 1/160 sec, f7.1 at ISO 1000

Post Processing

Buy Prints & Photo Products

Buy a Print of a Southern Boobook Owl (WAO1.1-V1)

Buy a Print of a Southern Boobook Owl (WAO1.1-V1)

Buy a Print of a Southern Boobook Owl (WAO1.2-V1)

Buy a Print of a Southern Boobook Owl (WAO1.2-V1)

Buy a Print of a Southern Boobook Owl (WAO1.3-V1)

Buy a Print of a Southern Boobook Owl (WAO1.3-V1)

Our Boobook Owl is also available on a wide range of Photo Products, Home Decor & Clothing at our Redbubble store:

It’s a proven fact that being out in nature is great for your mental and physical health. While you won’t get the full health benefit from our range of prints and photo gifts they are always a great reminder of where you’d rather be. So be sure to check out the rest of our range of Fine Art Prints at madcat.com.au and our unique photo gifts (scarves, wall tapestries, beach towels, tote bags and much more) at madaboutwa.com.au.

Cheers, Dave

The Ever Changing Colours of the Perth City Skyline – 2

The Ever Changing Colours of the Perth City Skyline – 2

Golden Hues, South Perth, Perth, Western Australia

Golden Hues, Perth City Skyline, Western Australia

We spent a lot more time in South Perth recently when my brother visited from the UK so I got the opportunity to view & capture many different colours & sunsets of the Perth City Skyline during November.

This second image in my Perth City Skyline series was taken at 5:15pm as the sun was starting to set. Again we were blessed with a nice amount of cloud coverage picking up some of the colours from the sunset however the difference in how those colours played out compared to my previous shot (see below), taken at a similar time of day, was mind blowing.

Afternoon City Glow, Perth City Skyline, Western Australia

Afternoon City Glow, Perth City Skyline – Western Australian Landscape Photography

The light was less diffused and the colours much stronger making for a much more striking scene with rich golden hues reflecting off the buildings. You really never can tell how the natural colours of a West Australian sunset will evolve.

Original Stitched Image in Lightroom, Perth City Skyline, Perth, Western Australia

Original Stitched Image in Lightroom, Perth City Skyline, Perth, Western Australia

As before I had my camera mounted on a tripod oriented vertically with my 70-200mm lens set to 70mm. This time I reduced the number of images I was taking by reducing the amount of overlap between each image to about 1/3rd resulting in only 5 images being needed to create the same size 35MP panorama. I also didn’t bother with exposure bracketing as the light variations were much more even.

One thing I love about Lightroom is that when you stitch your images together the resulting image is still in RAW format allowing all of the processing to be done after you have successfully created your stitched image,

Initial Processing in Lightroom, Perth City Skyline, Perth, Western Australia

Initial Processing in Lightroom, Perth City Skyline, Perth, Western Australia

My current workflow involves initial processing in Lightroom followed by some adding some effects in ON1 Photo Raw with some final tweaking in Photoshop, the Master File is then imported back into Lightroom from where I can export it in any format as required. All 3 tools have their benefits and work well together to produce a final image that is extremely high quality and suitable for any purpose.

Effects Added in ON1 Photo Raw, Perth City Skyline, Perth, Western Australia

Effects Added in ON1 Photo Raw, Perth City Skyline, Perth, Western Australia

ON1 Photo RAW has been a great addition to my workflow over the past year. I have built up a decent set of Effect Presets which I will be making available through my new online store in the near future. Each new image I process generally starts off from one of my existing Presets and evolves into a new set of effects and eventually a new Preset.  It’s such a simple way of creating amazing looking images.

Final Processing in Photoshop, Perth City Skyline, Perth, Western Australia

Final Processing in Photoshop, Perth City Skyline, Perth, Western Australia

Photoshop is where everything in the image is held together and the final tweaking is done. My Master File consists of the Lightroom image, the modified ON1 Photo RAW image & any additional changes I make in Photoshop to finish off the image. I am a big fan of non-destructive editing and like to be able to re-visit any part of my post-processing steps at any time in the future which is exactly what this workflow provides.

Final Image in Lightroom, Perth City Skyline, Perth, Western Australia

Final Image in Lightroom, Perth City Skyline, Perth, Western Australia

Once my Master File is complete I flatten it, import it back into Lightroom & add appropriate keywords and meta-data. From within Lightroom where I can export it in whatever shape & format I require in the future. I have many export Presets saved in Lightroom so whether I’m creating a Fine Art Print, a Greeting Card or a Tote Bag I know I can go to Lightroom and create the exact file I need quickly & easliy.

2:1 Zoom into Elizabeth Quay, Perth City Skyline, Perth, Western Australia

2:1 Zoom into Elizabeth Quay, Perth, Western Australia

Finally a quick 2:1 zoom in Lightroom shows just how much detail is available in such a hi-res image, if you look closely you can even read the “Mini Golf” banner near the entrance to Elizabeth Quay

Image Details

Location: Perth City from South Perth
Date: 27th November 2017
Time: 5:14pm
No. of Images Stitched: 5
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mk11
Lens: EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM
Camera Mode: Manual
Exposure: 1/13 sec at f14

Post Processing

Buy Prints & Photo Products

It’s a proven fact that being out in nature is great for your mental and physical health.

While you won’t get the full health benefit from our range of prints and photo gifts they are always a great reminder of where you’d rather be.

So be sure to check out our range of Fine Art Prints at madcat.com.au and our unique photo gifts (scarves, wall tapestries, beach towels, tote bags and much more) at madaboutwa.com.au.

Cheers,
Dave

The Ever Changing Colours of the Perth City Skyline – 1

The Ever Changing Colours of the Perth City Skyline – 1

Afternoon City Glow, Perth City Skyline, Western Australia

Afternoon City Glow, Perth City Skyline, Western Australia

We live in one of the cleanest & most beautiful cities in the world here in Perth and we think it’s time to showcase just how amazing the Perth City Skyline is.

We are currently in the enviable position of having access to a flat on Millpoint Road in South Perth with stunning views of the Perth City Skyline throughout the day. It never ceases to amaze me how much the colour & quality of light changes as the hours and days go by.

In this series of posts I’ll be showcasing unique images of the Perth City Skyline in all it’s glory and variety.

Afternoon City Glow, Perth City Skyline, Western Australia - Lightroom

Afternoon City Glow, Perth City Skyline, Western Australia – Lightroom

This first image was taken last week just before sunset. There were plenty of clouds in the sky with many gaps through which the sun streamed as it approached the horizon.

I had my camera mounted on a tripod oriented vertically with my 70-200mm lens set to 70mm. The plan was to take a series of images and stitch them together in Lightroom to make a very high resolution image, it turned out to be 35MP in this instance. I set my camera up to take 3 bracketed images for each shot as the dynamic range looked liked a potential problem. Ironically I ended up only using the first image from each set, the dynamic range of modern camera’s has come a long way but it never hurts to be safe 🙂

Blowup of Elizabeth Quay from the Final 35MP Image to Show the Detail

Blowup of Elizabeth Quay from the Final 35MP Image to Show the Detail

To the West of the city the golden sun was filtered through the clouds providing a surreal golden glow that slowly faded towards the East into the cooler blue tones. The difference from one side to the other was enormous and simply breathtaking.

Afternoon City Glow, Perth City Skyline, Western Australia - Original

Afternoon City Glow, Perth City Skyline, Western Australia – Original

Replicating such an effect can be very tricky in Post Processing, what starts out as a living atmospheric glow as light bounces of particles in the air all around you simply becomes a flat dull haze when the image is first loaded into Lightroom. You can see from the original image above there there was not a lot of “magic” to it at all.

As always Lightroom did a great job of the initial processing which I then transferred to ON1 Photo Raw to add some effects and then into Photoshop for some final touches and to create my “Master File” for this image.

Afternoon City Glow, Perth City Skyline, Western Australia - ON1 Photo RAW

Afternoon City Glow, Perth City Skyline, Western Australia – ON1 Photo RAW

Image Details

Location: Perth City from South Perth
Date: 4th July 2017
Time: 5:32pm
No. of Images Stitched: 7
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mk11
Lens: EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM
Camera Mode: Manual
Exposure: 1/25 sec at f11

Post Processing

Buy Prints & Photo Products

It’s a proven fact that being out in nature is great for your mental and physical health.

While you won’t get the full health benefit from our range of prints and photo gifts they are always a great reminder of where you’d rather be.

So be sure to check out our range of Fine Art Prints at madcat.com.au and our unique photo gifts (scarves, wall tapestries, beach towels, tote bags and much more) at madaboutwa.com.au.

Cheers,
Dave

Photos – Chasing Ducks in Yanchep National Park

Photos – Chasing Ducks in Yanchep National Park

We heard that there are some baby Swans around Lake Wagardu in Yanchep National Park so we took a trip out there for our daily walk, sadly the Swans were a no-show but we did get to see a lot of other bird life around the Lake.

Abundant Bird Life, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Wester Australia

Abundant Bird Life, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Wester Australia

If you look closely at the above image you can see a Pelican and numerous other wading birds and ducks going about their daily business. The Park really is a natural wonder 🙂

Hungry Duck, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

Hungry Duck, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

One thing Yanchep National park has in abundance is Ducks!

When we sat on a park bench to eat our lunch three Pacific Black Ducks waddled on over to see if they could get some crumbs. One was immediately chased off by the other two, obviously he wasn’t part of the “In-Crowd”!

Luckily for the Ducks we know more about what is good for them than they do so they weren’t very lucky in the food department. It is really important not to feed Ducks or any other wild animals as it can upset the balance of nature as well as causing serious health problems according to the Department of Parks & Wildlife.

The first couple of Duck shots weren’t quite so sharp, something to do with having a shutter speed of 1/40th sec I suspect 😳 However, you can get some interesting shots of animals with slow shutter speeds sometimes, the first 2 photos I took looked like the Duck was shaking and nodding his head …

Duck Says No, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

Duck Says No, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

Duck Says Yes, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

Duck Says Yes, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

Maybe he was just going Quackers  :mrgreen:

Being Spring there were also a lot of incredibly cute Ducklings around this extended family of Australian Wood Ducks were gorgeous …

Duckling Creche, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

Duckling Creche, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

Spring Ducklings, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

Spring Ducklings, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

Ducklings On Watch, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

Ducklings On Watch, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

These two Pacific Black Ducklings cuddled up by the Lake were pretty damn cute too …

Twin Ducklings, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

Twin Ducklings, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

While on our walk around the lake I spotted this awesome carving on one of the tree stumps, no idea who did it but it looked cool.

Kangaroo Carving, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

Kangaroo Carving, Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia

Hopefully we’ll spot the Swan’s Cygnets on our next trip to the Park.

All of these images were processed in Lightroom CC & ON1 Photo 10 & Photoshop CC. You can download free trials of these programs or purchase them from the links below:

Cheers,
Dave

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